Bucs gearing up for heated rival matchup against Saints
Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throws against the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium on September 25, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
TAMPA, Fla. - A matchup against the New Orleans Saints is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers most heated rival. They have been two of the most dominate teams in the NFC South over the last six years and two teams that basically have no love for each other.
"It will be physical, it will probably be nasty," Tristan Wirfs said. "They always have a really good defense. I say it's a rivalry, so it gets a little chippy. I mean look at Mike [Evans], Mike and Marshon Lattimore every year. Yeah, it's fun."
Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield is new to this battle, but he's well aware of the past history between these two teams. It didn't take long for him to get a sense of the intensity in the rivalry.
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"Yeah, I mean, you see it firsthand now being here in Tampa," Mayfield said. "You kind of watched it on TV – well I did – in the past. You get a feeling this is one of the ones everybody has circled on the calendar when the schedule gets released, and I’m looking forward to it this early on being in a division game, and having the same record as them, as well."
The Bucs will face just two NFC South opponents before the month of December. A win over the Saints on Sunday would give the Bucs an early edge in claiming a third straight division crown.
It's a division that has only been won by two teams over the last six seasons – the Bucs and Saints.
"Our goal is to win the division, and it's going to be a big step towards that," Chris Godwin said.
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Does that mean the winning the division goes through New Orleans?
"I feel like we won the division the last couple years, so it goes through us," Godwin said.
"I mean every game for us mindset-wise is a must win," said Mayfield. "Now, this early in the season, you’re not losing sleep over it, but it’s an important one for us. Every game is important for us, but especially the division ones and especially this rivalry, so I can’t say enough about it."
The winner of Sunday's game won't decide the division, but it can go a long way in leading the winning team towards the title.